


Goodwill

by phantomofthehoepera



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Getting Together, Injury Recovery, Jack Has Feelings, M/M, Post-Canon Fix-It, but that doesn't mean he likes it! or knows how to be an adult about it!, i'm hesitant to slap a slow burn on this so let's say it's medium rare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22269343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomofthehoepera/pseuds/phantomofthehoepera
Summary: In which Jack stumbles upon a not-so-uninhabited island and makes a few bad decisions
Relationships: James Norrington/Jack Sparrow
Comments: 35
Kudos: 229





	Goodwill

**Author's Note:**

> Me, raising James from the dead: wake up sleepyhead we're getting you romance

The island was a sea of lush green, only contrasted by the actual sea, clear as the finest glass and as blue as the sky. It surrounded the island and flowed into a lagoon, a strip of sand separating that from the greenery. Overall it was quite idyllic and- Jack concluded as he climbed out of his dingy- lacking in inhabitants. That suited him well, he really was not in the mood to get in trouble with any locals at the moment. Though it would have been nice if he could have bought himself some more rum. He was running low. 

Still inspecting the island, Jack pulled his boat up on the beach as well as he could. It was hard to get any footing in the sand and he finally decided to let the boat stay where it was, instead grabbing a rope, tying one end to the mast and taking the other up the beach. Lucky for him, it was just long enough for him to be able to reach the first trees and tie the second end around one of them, just in case. One never knew what the weather would get up to while he was off exploring, and he wouldn’t want the boat to drift away. Now _that_ would cut his adventuring quite short, for certain. Jack tightened the knot on the tree a bit more. 

First order of business was supposed to be fresh water, but as Jack stepped back out into the sunlight he quickly reconsidered his scheduling. Casting the glittering lagoon a longing glance he made for the dingy and discarded his hat, coat and boots. It cooled him down a little, which would have to do for now. He could always swim later. 

Grabbing a set of canteen bottles, he began making his way along the beach, keeping an eye out for streams. It took him quite some time, during which he got a decent look at the island, but he finally found a small one emerging from the trees, almost all the way across the lagoon. Trying it and finding it fresh, Jack followed it into the woods. It went on for quite some time, growing steadier and steadier, until Jack reached its source- a small pond surrounded by bushes. With a triumphant whistle, Jack crouched next to it and began filling the canteens. 

It was when he’d just submerged the third one, that a rustling made his head snap up. He peered across the pond, at the patch of high grass that the noise had come from, slowly raising the bottle out of the water. After securing its cork, he put it down and stood up, as silently as he could although he wasn’t sure if that would do him any good. The grass had gone silent now, and Jack carefully started walking towards it. Holding his breath, and readying himself to fight back with whatever he could use (which wasn’t much, he realized and swore under his breath), he took a few steps into the grass, then turned his eyes downwards. A figure, hard to discern through the grass, laid on the ground. It was completely still and Jack hesitantly took another step forward. Once he was within reach of the figure and it still hadn’t moved, he parted the grass and finally got a good look at the man. 

At first he didn’t recognize him. He’d grown quite a bit of stubble, his face was grimy with both dirt and what looked like dry blood and his hair was beyond messy, caked with mud and falling into his eyes. Said eyes looked distant, not quite fixing on Jack. Still, the man seemed to recognize him, and spoke with a raspy voice. 

”Oh. It’s just you” 

The prime and proper accent made Jack’s eyes widen, and his jaw drop ever so slightly. Still, it was the tone that really made him recognize the man. That particular brand of pure disdain was rare. 

”Norrington?” He asked, to which the commodore (Or was it admiral? Or was it neither?) just chuckled. 

”What’s left of me” His right arm twitched slightly, and Jack could only assume he meant to be gesturing towards himself. Indeed, ’what was left of him’ was a fitting description. The more Jack looked him over, the more odd wounds he seemed to find, though his eyes kept drawing to the particularly nasty one in his side. It was deep and from the looks of it, far from clean. 

”Well, you look terrible” Jack crouched down and brushed some hair from Norrington’s forehead ”Been here long, have you?” 

”Longer than expected” Norrington coughed ”Though I imagine I won’t be here for much longer” 

”Now that’s just sad” Jack poked him lightly, unintentionally nudging his face away from himself. He quickly adjusted Norrington so they were face to face again and for the first time, some edge came to his eyes. It wasn’t a glare, but it was the closest Jack imagined he’d get with Norrington’s current state. 

”If you intend to pity me, feel free to do so elsewhere. I’m quite comfortable as is and I’d hate for you to ruin it” The statement was somewhat undercut by another coughing fit, more violent this time. Norrington neither sounded, nor looked very comfortable, but Jack thought it polite to shut up about that. 

”Before you leave, though” Norrington continued once the coughing died down ”Is Elizabeth safe?” 

”Mate, I don’t think anything could kill her, if it even had the guts to try” Jack rolled his eyes ”And the same can be said for yourself, evidently. From what I’d heard you met your demise on the Dutchman” 

”Nearly did” Norrington nodded, the gesture seemingly straining him ”Though I think I would have preferred that to this, in all honesty. This just takes an awful lot of time” 

”Yes, but of course, it’s somewhat preventable” That seemed to confuse Norrington. He narrowed his eyes at Jack, who sighed. 

”Can you get up?” He asked. 

”I’m sorry?” 

”I said, can you get up?” Jack repeated, not entire sure why. He looked away, down the path he’d taken from the beach. It was quite a walk, and an even further one back to the boat. Turning back to Norrington, he found him almost completely focused on Jack now, his gaze nowhere near as cloudy as before. 

”I heard what you said, Sparrow. I’m just not quite sure I believe it” He narrowed his eyes slightly ”What are your plans? To carefully nurse me back to health” 

”I still owe you one, don’t I” Jack snapped back ”Besides, if I left you here to die Elizabeth would k-, she’d _hurt_ me, quite badly” 

He reached a hand out, and when Norrington didn’t take it, grabbed the other’s arm and made a motion to throw it over his own shoulder. Norrington stopped him, however. 

”Wait!” He cried out, almost panicked, then cleared his throat, calming himself. 

”My leg is hurt, I’m afraid” He explained ”I’m not certain what it is, but I won’t be able to walk” 

Almost two hours and a lot of cursing from both of them later, Jack- drenched in sweat- lowered Norrington to the ground, in the shade of the trees where he’d tied the boat up. The rope was still firmly in place, so Jack figured he could stop worrying about that now, worrying instead about his…patient, might be the right word. Norrington had closed his eyes sometime during the trek, and before he caught a faint sound of breathing, it had nearly scare the life out of Jack. Now, facing the sitting Norrington he could clearly see the slight rise and fall of his chest, which was somewhat reassuring. Though Jack wasn’t entirely sure if he was passed out or just sleeping. Hesitantly, he reached out and shook Norrington’s shoulder. 

”Oi” He said. Then, when he got no response, he said it again, louder this time. For a moment, he still got no reaction, but then Norrington cracked one eye open. 

”What?” 

”Dozing off on me, are we?” Jack forced a grin and tried to ignore the spike of panic still not entirely gone from the back of his mind. He didn’t have any particular interest in improvising a burial for the former commodore, no matter how taxing taking care of him would undoubtedly be. After all, he _did_ owe him one, and in Jack’s experience, not paying off debts could end up getting you all sorts of dead. 

”I’m just trying to pass away in peace. You’re not helping” Norrington closed his eye again and shifted his head slightly, away from Jack, who took no offense to the gesture. He was too preoccupied with once again assessing the many scrapes of varying severity covering Norrington. The wound in his side would undoubtedly take the most time to treat, and Jack wasn’t entire sure how exactly he’d accomplish that. Thus, he decided to start with something a bit easier, namely Norrington’s leg. After all, if Norrington survived all this, Jack imagined he’d appreciate being able to walk somewhat properly. 

Crossing his legs, he sat down besides Norrington and carefully put a hand on the shin of his wounded right leg. The touch made his eyes snap open and he looked down at Jack with an expression that was quite hard to read. 

”Just assessing the damage, if you don’t mind” Jack removed his hand, letting it hover just a few centimeters over Norrington’s leg. For a moment, it looked like Norrington would protest, but he finally nodded and shut his eyes again, seemingly relaxing a little. Jack gave it a moment, before getting back to his work. It wasn’t too difficult- just above the knee he found some rather noticeable swelling, and Norrington flinched when he touched the area. Probably broken, and even if it wasn’t, it was better to be safe than sorry, Jack thought as he got up and began scanning the area for an appropriate branch. There were a few usable ones strewn about in the woods, and Jack decided to take them all, as well as as many more he could carry, figuring that now was as good a time as any to collect some firewood. It appeared as though he’d have to stay on the island for quite some time, after all. 

Setting Norrington’s leg turned out to be quite the challenge. Jack wasn’t entirely inexperienced with broken bones, but it wasn’t exactly something he helped out with on the regular, either. And it didn’t help that Norrington kept complaining.

”You know I think I would have preferred to just waste away by the pond” His voice was strained ”Mind carrying me back?” 

”Shut it” Jack bit back, lacking a wittier retort and more focused on trying to secure the stick with strips of a rag he’d fetched from the boat. They weren’t easy to tie with, but he wasn’t about to use his clothes. There had to be some limit to his goodwill. 

It took a little more fiddling with the strips until Jack was finally somewhat satisfied with his work. He leaned back and caught himself just in time before patting Norrington’s leg, drawing his hand back the moment he realized what he’d been about to do. Cursing at himself under his breath, he looked up at Norrington’s chest, studying the wound as thoroughly as he could. Norrington’s shirt seemed stuck to the edges of it, held in place by dried blood and some other substance Jack wasn’t sure what to call besides gross. He’d have to get rid of the shirt somehow, to begin with. Jack thought it over for a moment, then decided on what he assumed was the best way to go about that. He inched closer to Norrington, who’d once again closed his eyes. 

”Your leg’s done” He informed him ”I’m gonna try to get your shirt off now, if that’s fine by you” 

”If you think it’s necessary” Norrington shrugged slightly, keeping his eyes closed. His voice was getting steadier, though, Jack noticed. Perhaps the raspiness had been more a side-effect of not using it for too long, rather than his injured state. 

Jack reached for one of the canteens, discarded in the sand next to the two, and poured some of the water out over Norrington’s side. At first, not much happened, but once Jack poured a little more, some of the dried blood started to dissolve, staining Norrington’s shirt even further. He tugged at it carefully, and felt it loosen slightly. It was still stuck pretty badly, though, so Jack grabbed the next canteen and got to work, this time emptying it a little slower so as to not waste more fresh water than necessary. 

That seemed to do the trick, and he could soon pull Norrington’s shirt away completely, rolling it up to his chest and revealing the wound in all its glory. Jack cringed at the sight, having to fight not to look away when fresh blood started to spill out, along with more of that disgusting substance. He poured some more water on it, but realized that that wasn’t going to be enough. 

With a defeated sigh, he reached into his sash and fished out a knife, then muttered an apology to Norrington, before reaching around him and cutting his shirt open from the back. That let him pull it off easily, and without having to ask Norrington to move, but did get him a nasty glare. 

”I liked that shirt” 

”Well if you’re so sure you’re gonna die then there’s no point in wasting mine, is there?” Jack didn’t wait for a response, just picked up the empty canteens, stood up and began making his way down to the beach again. 

”Wait here” He ordered, yelling over his shoulder. 

”Not much else to do” Norrington yelled back, and Jack grinned. At least he had his wits intact, though the same couldn’t be said about his body or pride. But one of those things- at least- was what Jack was there for, right? He couldn’t do much about the pride part (In fact, he suspected he was almost damaging it further) but he could at least try patching Norrington up. Still, for that he’d need bandages, or at least some clean fabric, which was why he was walking back to the pond where he’d first found Norrington. 

He reached it soon enough- the hike not nearly as time consuming now that he didn’t have to be on the lookout for fresh water- and filled up the canteens, then walked slightly downstream to clean up the shirt. That turned out to be hard work, as much of the filth and blood was positively ingrained into the shirt by now, forming an intricate yet ultimately quite unflattering pattern. He scrubbed it out as best as he could, but it was difficult to get the stains out properly with nothing but the water. In the end, he gave up after nearly twenty minutes, when the final patches of pale brown didn’t seem like they’d be going anywhere no matter how much more time he spent on them. It’d simply had to do, he thought as he got up and started walking back to the camp. 

When he came back, Norrington was still awake, staring out to sea. He turned to Jack when he came back, quirking an eyebrow. 

”You were gone pretty long” He remarked and Jack rolled his eyes. 

”Not my bloody fault” He muttered as he made for the boat, hanging the shirt over the side of it as he climbed in and began rummaging around for the bottles he knew he still had left somewhere. It took some time and moving what little else he had with him, but he finally got a hand on one of them. There was still one laying on a pile of rope and he considered getting that too, but decided against it, in the end. For now, the one bottle would have to be enough. 

After giving the bottle in his hand a final, mournful glance, he strolled back up to Norrington and sat down beside him again. Norrington didn’t pay him any mind, just looking at the water and not responding when Jack warned him that what was about to happen was going to hurt Norrington nearly as much as it’d hurt himself. That, Norrington should have listened to, because when Jack poured some of the rum from the bottle onto his wound it really caught him by surprise. He yelped, and his right arm shot up and nearly hit Jack in the face. 

”I told you so” Jack huffed as he tore a sleeve from the shirt ”Now lay still” 

He pressed the sleeve to the wound, feeling it soak up under his palm. It was lucky he’d spent so much time with his hand soaked in water, he thought as he looked down on them. They were cleaner than they’d been in years. 

”That _hurts_ ” Norrington glared at him and Jack couldn’t help but feel a smidgeon of schadenfreude. He couldn’t help it really. It came with how much Norrington had wanted to hang him way back when. And the whole business with the heart, but who knew who betrayed who back then, really? 

”Better than being dead” He said cheerfully and removed the sleeve. Now, he didn’t claim himself to be a medical professional, but he did think the wound was starting to look a lot better. Deciding to save the rum as much as he could, he grabbed one of the canteens and poured some more water onto it, letting blood and gross substance flow out with the water for a while. Then he dried it off with the last clean piece of the sleeve and poured some more rum, making sure Norrington actually got the warning this time. Once he was done with that, he tore off the second shirt sleeve, folding it together and putting it over the wound, using the rest of the shirt to tie it in place. That took some struggling, since Norrington had a hard time sitting up without support, in the end having to lean forward onto Jack, while he reached around Norrington’s back with the shirt. That did work out, though, so Jack counted it as a success, despite the awkward position. 

”Right” He said, standing up and inspecting his work ”You look almost presentable now” 

Norrington just glared at him in response, through the strips of filthy hair hanging over his eyes . The irony evidently wasn’t lost on him and Jack couldn’t help but smirk as he turned around and started making his way back to the boat. There, he took some time to go over what little foodstuff he’d brought with him. He hadn’t planned for company, of course, and as such it was rather limited. If he wanted to stay- which he’d no doubt need to do- he’d have to find an additional source of food, and he was fairly certain his best shot was venturing up the green hills of the island. 

There weren’t any paths to follow, but Jack saw that as more of a good sign than anything. It meant nothing was out going on regular hunting trips on this part of the island, at least, and he was confident in his ability to get back to the beach. After all, he really just had to turn around and he’d probably end up close to where Norrington was, at least. 

Should he have left him alone? He didn’t think Norrington was in any state to steal his boat, but one never knew. And as for if he’d be willing to do it, that was a tricky question. The first time they’d ran into each other, Jack would have said no, mostly because Norrington had seemed like he wouldn’t take a coin he found lying on the street because he’d count it as stealing. After everything that had happened on Isla Cruces, Jack wasn’t so sure, however. For all he knew, patching Norrington up could end up getting him captured and handed over to the navy as a reconciliatory gift.

Wasn’t that a cheerful thought? Jack tried to shake it for now, deciding that while Norrington could barely move it didn’t matter. He continued walking, climbing over roots and wading through grass somewhat aimlessly, until he spotted a tree that looked promising and set his course for it. Even from afar, he could see the fruit hanging from it- clear yellow against the green of the foliage- and upon closer inspection he was able to identify them as mangoes. Satisfied, he picked as many as he could carry and began his walk back to the beach, trying to memorize the way to the tree on his way. 

He came out of the woods a few meters from the boat, and followed the beach back to it, as the sun began to set. Soon he reached the camp and sat the mangoes down next to Norrington in a pile on the ground, then picked up the stack of firewood and began setting it up, figuring it was a good idea to light it sooner rather than later, so that they wouldn’t have to spend any time in the dark. There was more firewood to be found, after all, and once he was done setting up the fire, he went to do just that. He made a few trips to and from the woods, piling up a decent amount of wood as the sun continued to set, and while feeling Norrington observing him each time he was in the navy man’s field of view. Whether he was plotting or just had nothing better to do, he didn’t do much more than that so Jack didn’t mention it until he was satisfied with the amount of firewood he’d gathered. By that point it had started to get properly dark, the fire making the shadows in Norrington’s face dance. 

”You’ve been awfully quiet” Jack remarked as he sat down by the fire, reached for one of the mangoes and began peeling it with his knife ”Something on your mind?” 

”No” Norrington shook his head and muttered a thank you as Jack handed him the peeled mango. He was able to hold it, at least for a while, and took a few bites before giving it back to Jack with shaky hands, saying he couldn’t eat more. Jack thought of coaxing some more into him, but realized that that could end up with Norrington just throwing all of it up, and thus accepted the fruit back and began eating the rest. 

”Sparrow” Norrington suddenly said, and Jack looked up from his mango. 

”You can say Jack” He shrugged ”I don’t mind” 

”And what, you’re going to start calling me James?” 

” _That’s_ your name?” 

”You didn’t know?” Norri- _James_ looked puzzled, and Jack shook his head. 

”Elizabeth probably told me at some point, but I forgot” He finished the mango and threw the core into the woods ”It’s been a stressful few years” 

”It has” James nodded, and was silent for a moment before continuing ”What I wanted to ask was, why are you doing this? It doesn’t seem like your style” 

”Already told you, I owe you one” Jack reached for another mango, peeling it while James sat quiet again, seemingly thinking of something to say. He could take his time, Jack thought. After all, it wasn’t as if either of them was in any rush. And he could use some time to actually think about James’ question, because really, why was he doing this? Wasting precious _Pearl-_ finding hours on a man who’d wanted to see him hang?

”What happened with Beckett?” James interrupted his thinking and Jack straightened his back a little, glad to get to be the bearer of excellent news. 

”Dead. Jones as well” He added the last bit, feeling his good mood dampen a little. Not that he wasn’t as happy to be rid of Jones as he was Beckett, it was just the means that stung a little. Really, they stung a lot, but he wasn’t about to tell James Norrington of all people that. 

”Really?” James frowned ”Who did it?” 

Jack didn’t respond immediately. He took some time, trying to figure out how best to say it without actually having to _talk_ about it. Finally, he settled and replied. 

”Turner” He didn’t elaborate further, but that seemed to be enough. James didn’t say anything, just nodded, a pained expression crossing his face. He looked down on his hands, and Jack soon did the same, focusing on peeling his mango rather than thinking of anything that had happened the past weeks. That was impossible, of course, but it helped him steer clear of the worst parts, at least. _No Will, no Locker. No Will, no Locker. No Will-_

”Oi” He looked up, as a thought crossed his mind ”How did you even get here, anyway? Last I heard you were dead on the _Dutchman_ ” 

”It was close. I got this-” James closed his eyes as he gestured to the bandages covering his side ”And got thrown overboard. After that I don’t remember much, just waking up on the beach here” 

”Huh” Jack nodded, contemplating that for a moment, before grinning ”You must’ve gotten help from a mermaid” 

”Why not?” James sighed ”With how much fish people I’ve been around lately it wouldn't surprise me if the merfolk took me as one of their own” 

”On account of the smell?” 

”Something along those lines” James sighed again and opened his eyes, looking at Jack ”And what about yourself?”

”What about me?” Jack took a bite of mango. 

”Heard you were dead as well. What happened to that?” 

Hadn’t he been thinking something along the lines of _”no locker”_? Jack suppressed a shiver and took another bite before responding with a shrug. 

”I got better” He said flatly then gestured with his mango-free hand ”Got some help” 

”Oh” James looked confused, which was fair, really, but didn’t ask anything more. Instead he rested his head against the tree, closing his eyes again. After that, he didn’t move, and Jack almost started getting worried before catching a faint snore. Relieved, he stood up and walked down to the boat, going through his things again. There was a blanket stuffed in under a crate, and while it didn’t look very comfortable, it’d serve its purpose. Jack threw it over his arm and walked back up, then put it over James, careful not to wake him up. He stayed where he was for a moment, after that, looking down on the sleeping man. Why _was_ he doing this? 

Staring wouldn’t get him an answer, so he stopped doing that, instead lying down and curling up next to the campfire. Sleeping on dry land always felt a bit off, the stillness really hitting him when he was just lying down and not really doing anything, but at least he could hear the waves. They hit the beach rhythmically and repetitively, a reminder that the sea wasn’t far off. As he began drifting off, Jack became more and more grateful for the sound, certain that he wouldn’t have been able to sleep without it. Or that if he did, he’d do so dreaming of an endless, unforgiving and unmoving mass of white. 

The next morning was rather uneventful, with Jack going back out into the woods in search of more fruit to vary their diet with. Not that he minded mangoes, of course, he just didn’t want to end up getting tired of them. Thus, he strolled around the island for a few hours, eventually returning to the camp with a variety of different fruits. He put them down next to the pile of mangoes, noticed that James still hadn’t woken up and moved closer to his campmate’s sleeping form. 

”Morning” He poked James and got a displeased grunt in response. At least he hadn’t died overnight, Jack thought, and pulled the blanket off him, grinning cheerfully when James glared at him. 

”I thought yesterday might have been a bad dream” He scoffed ”But you’re still here” 

”What I believe you’re trying to say is ’Thank you, Jack, for dragging me halfway across the island and using precious rum on treating me’” Jack mimicked James’ posh accent, quite well in his own opinion but apparently not to James’ amusement. James just rolled his eyes. 

”How are you feeling?” Jack asked, since it didn’t seem like James was going to keep the conversation going on his own accord. He looked him over as he shrugged, checking to see how his bandages were doing and deciding that they’d have to be changed, somehow. 

”Hungry” James sounded a little surprised at that, but considering how little he’d eaten the day before it should be expected. And it was probably a good sign, Jack told himself, as he grabbed a papaya, cut it in half and set the pieces down next to James, careful not to let anything but the skin touch the sand. 

”Think you can eat on your own?” He raised an eyebrow and James nodded slowly. 

”I’d like to try, at least” He said. That was understandable, Jack thought. He knew for certain that if it’d been the other way around, he wouldn’t have wanted to rely so much on James, or anyone for that matter. So he sat back, and ate some of the mango from the day before, while keeping a watchful eye on James who was doing well, but still looked a little shaky. He finished the first half, then had to put his arms down for quite a while and rest before he could get to the rest of the fruit. Jack offered to help him with that, but James declined and to Jack’s slight surprise he managed to not drop the second piece either. 

Once he was done, he leaned his head against the tree with an exhausted sigh and Jack inched closer. 

”Seconds?” He asked and James shook his head. One papaya wasn’t enough, Jack knew that, but he figured he’d wait a little while before he started pressuring James to eat more. He was a stubborn man, Jack knew very well after their months-long game of cat and mouse, and Jack didn’t particularly feel like shoving guava down his throat. 

”Alright” He just said ”Then let’s check on that wound of yours” 

James sighed, sounding a tad annoyed, but didn’t protest as Jack carefully unwinded the strips of fabric he’d used to secure the improvised bandaging in place. The final piece of fabric came off relatively easily, and when Jack inspected it he was relieved to find that the wound didn’t seem to have bled that much overnight. It looked a lot better than it had yesterday, as well, with way less of the weird substance and the red swelling around it having gone down quite a bit. 

Jack had to make another trip to the pond, both to get more water and to wash the bandages clean. For a moment, he’d considered using his own shirt after all, but that would most likely just get him a whole bunch of opinions on his sense of hygiene. Not that they wouldn’t be warranted, but Jack really wasn’t in the mood and as such he thought it best to save James the trouble and himself the shirt. 

It took him some time, but he eventually got back to camp and started working on cleaning the wound again. That was a much quicker process this time, and cost him mercifully little rum. In fact, the pieces of James’ shirt had barely dried once he was ready to reapply them and he couldn’t help but feel proud of his work as he got to doing that. James was quiet during the entire process, not humoring any of Jack’s muttered remarks, but that was fine. Jack hadn’t exactly expected to spark any conversation, he was mostly doing it to entertain himself, really. He’d developed a bit of a habit of talking to himself. 

”There you go” He said after a while, finishing the bandages ”You’re getting a lot better already” 

”Thank you” James muttered, and Jack had to do a double take to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. 

”I’m sorry, what was that?” 

”I said-” James sighed and was silent for a moment before continuing ”I said ’Thank you, Jack, for dragging me halfway across the island and using precious rum on treating me’”

He said it completely seriously, and for a moment Jack didn’t know how to respond. Then, James smirked at him and he let out a chuckle. 

”Don’t mention it, mate” He got up and looked over his shoulder, down at the sea, and quickly made a decision. 

”I’m going for a swim. Gonna see if there are any fish to be caught” He looked back at James ”Yell if you need anything” 

”Alright” James nodded and Jack turned again, walking down the beach. He made a stop at the boat, confirming that he was remembering correctly and that- yes- he had a fishing net tangled together among the rest of his belongings. Satisfied, he jokingly yelled for James to look away, as he took off what remained of his clothes and put them in the boat where he’d left his coat and hat the day before. 

Stepping into the water was brilliant, to say the least, and Jack sighed contently as the waves cooled him down somewhat. Taking a deep breath, he submerged himself completely and looked around the lagoon. The water was clear enough for him to see most of it, and there did seem to be plenty of fish inhabiting the waters. Jack thought of catching some immediately, but ultimately decided against it. He thought he’d earned some time to relax, and intended to take that time even if he hadn’t. So he got back to the surface to get some air, then dove back down, swimming for the deeper parts of the lagoon. He soon started to run out of air, but forced himself to go on just a little longer. Just a few more strokes…

He broke the surface with a gasp and looked back with a grin, satisfied with the distance he’d covered. The beach was quite far off now, and he couldn’t see James very well, but when he waved at him James waved back so Jack figured it was all good and went underwater again. This time he pointed himself downward, swimming as far down as he could and only just grazing the bottom of the lagoon with his fingers before he had to go up for air again. He did so, and turned on his back, facing the sky. With his eyes closed against the sun, he felt it heat his face up and laid still, just floating in the water for a while, before swimming back to the beach. 

As he got up, he caught James quickly looking away, seemingly a tad flustered, but paid that no mind. Being properly English, and all that, he was bound to be more prudish than Jack, which in all fairness wasn’t very difficult, Jack thought as he made for the boat and grabbed the net. It needed untangling quite badly, and Jack got to that as he waded out into the water again, stopping when it reached his stomach and finishing with the net. He checked it for tangles one final time, then dropped it into the sea and stood still, watching the water intently. 

It took some time, but eventually the fish that had been scared off when he got in the water began to draw closer again. He followed them with his gaze, suppressing a smile as that story Gibbs had told Will came to mind. Three days, was it, that he’d supposedly stood completely still in the water? The idea wasn’t bad, per se, Jack just didn’t think he would have had it in him not to move for that long. 

By the time he walked back to the beach with a catch of three fish, it was starting to get dark and after getting dressed he quickly got to work relighting the campfire. Once he was done with that, he picked out the longest piece of firewood in the pile, too lazy to get any more right now, and sharpened it to a point he could stick the fish on. They roasted nicely over the fire, and although they were pretty tasteless Jack appreciated the change in diet. James apparently did as well, with Jack managing to coax him into eating an entire fish relatively easily. He refused the half of the final one, which Jack offered him after eating one of the fish himself, though, only accepting a few pieces of mango. 

”You really need to eat more, mate” Jack poked his arm ”We can’t have you starving to death when I’m trying to save your life” 

”I’m not hungry” 

”No, of course not” 

There wasn’t much more conversation than that. It felt as though the two of them had used up all they had to talk about the night before, and were now just left in silence. It wasn’t awkward, but nor was it entirely comfortable and Jack couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Perhaps they were just tired? He couldn’t say about James, but he himself certainly was and laid down once he was done eating. The crackling of the campfire seemed louder tonight than it had the night before, managing to keep Jack awake for quite some time. Eventually, though, he drifted off, catching a last glimpse of James- still awake- before doing so. 

Jack’s eyes snapped open to a still dark sky, as he was woken up by a violent shaking. For a moment, he couldn’t get himself to move, only looking up at the stars and slowly realizing how fast his heart was beating and how sweaty he was. It wasn’t until he got to registering the feeling of the hand resting on his shoulder that he managed to force himself to look to this right, up at James’ concerned face. It took a while for him to realize why that was so weird, only sensing that that was the case, until it suddenly hit him and he blurted out. 

”You’re up” 

It came out nowhere near as collected as he’d aimed for, his voice somewhat raspy and breathless. He cleared his throat, as James spoke. 

”You were screaming” 

Ah, that explained a lot of things. Jack slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes as he did. 

”Sorry, mate” He turned to James, who’d slumped against a nearby tree. Not the one he’d originally been sitting by, though. In fact, he’d moved quite a bit from it. Not very gracefully if the messy tracks in the sand were anything to go by, but then again, that didn’t make the feat any less impressive, considering James’ leg. 

”Did I wake you up?” Jack asked and James nodded.

”But don’t worry about it” He added ”I hadn’t been sleeping for long” 

”Sorry” Jack muttered. He thought of lying down again and trying to get some more sleep, but couldn’t find it in him. While he couldn’t remember what he’d been dreaming of, he could guess and an uneasy feeling had etched itself into the back of his mind, refusing to let go. Thinking about it wouldn’t help, of course, the only way to properly shake it was to do something, so Jack mumbled something about firewood and made a motion to stand up. 

”Don’t” James cut him off, and Jack paused, still not entirely given up on his quest. He ended up sitting on his heels, meeting James’ rather intense stare. 

”Don’t what?” Jack knew damn well, really. The question was more on principle. 

”Don’t go out into the woods” James elaborated, not shifting his gaze a millimeter ”You’ll get lost. Or trip on something and end up hurt, especially walking the way you do” 

”Now that’s just uncalled for” Jack stayed where he was and swallowed down a comment about how he, at least, _could_ walk. 

”Stay” James repeated, seemingly not acknowledging what Jack had just said ”That’s an order” 

The command seemed to startle him as much as it did Jack, who sat back down almost on instinct. James stared at him, his brows furrowed and no doubt going through all kind of internal conflicts, but finally seemed to arrive at the conclusion that if it worked then there was no point in thinking too much about it, because his expression softened and he nodded approvingly. Then, he leaned back against his new tree and closed his eyes. He must be exhausted, Jack realized. Really, he’d had no business moving around in that state, even if it _had_ been nice of him-

”Tell me something” His thinking was interrupted and he turned to James, expecting a question to follow. That didn’t happen, though. Instead James scrunched his face up, seemingly regretting his choice of words. 

”I mean as in, tell me _about_ something. Anything” He clarified ”You like talking, right?” 

”Somehow I get the feeling that isn’t a compliment” 

”It doesn’t matter. Just talk” James shifted slightly. Either the tree wasn’t as comfortable as the last, or he just hadn’t gotten adjusted yet. He looked at Jack expectantly, while Jack- for once- didn’t say a word, which eventually made James sigh and elaborate. 

”I’ve seen enough new sailors after their first battle at sea. I can…guess what’s going on. Even if I don’t know what exactly happened to you. And I say, if you want to get any sleep tonight the best way to do it is to distract yourself. And not by going out and looking for firewood in the dark with nothing but your own thoughts” James shrugged slightly ”I figured talking would be the better way. You _do_ like talking, don’t you?” 

Jack couldn’t manage to respond for quite some time. It was embarrassing, really. He liked having a response at all times, prided himself on it, really. This felt like showing up to a sword fight without even a butter knife to defend himself with. 

”I do like talking” He finally managed, then cleared his throat ”And sure, I’ve got stories, if you’ll listen” 

”Of course” James didn’t sound thrilled, exactly, but not completely dismissive either. He probably wasn’t all that interested in whatever, Jack had to say, which was understandable, of course. And besides, Jack was fairly confident he could change James’ mind. 

”Alright then” He began ”Have you ever heard of the banquet of chestnuts? No? Well, it all starts with pope Alexander the sixth…” 

He told the story as dramatically as he could, and with as much detail as he remembered. It was only about halfway through that he realized that James might not be as fond of the… _cruder_ bits as the sort of people he usually told this story to. To his surprise, however, when he paused in the middle of a sentence and cast a glance at James he found him looking genuinely amused. And when Jack didn’t immediately continue, he urged him on. He even went so far as to laugh along with Jack as he finished the story up, by now already lying down on the ground again. 

”Hold on, I’ve got more” Jack said, but then didn’t say anything more. His eyelids were starting to droop and his thoughts were slowing down. The last he managed was that maybe James knew how to have some fun after all.

On the fifth day they ran out of rum and Jack suddenly started to get restless. He hadn’t drank much of it, just a few mouthfuls here and there, with the majority going to cleaning James’ wound and the lack of alcohol was starting to get to him, he’d be the first to admit. There had been a town on the last island he landed at before this one (Saint, something. He couldn’t quite remember), just a day of sailing away. Perhaps he could go back there? Then, he could get both rum and other supplies they might need if they were to stay on the island for long, but then again, were they? Or was it better to just bring James along and get him to a doctor in town. 

He brought the idea up to James over their dinner, once again consisting of fish and assorted fruits and which James was now eating properly of, thank heavens. It took him some time to answer, as he thoughtfully looked out to sea. 

”I…” He slowly began ”I don’t think it’d be a very good idea to take me out to sea, if I’m honest. At best I won’t be any help, at worst I’ll get in your way” 

”I’ll only be gone for a few days” Jack promised ”Two days. Maybe three, but no more than that” 

”Right…” James nodded slightly. He was sitting up by himself, now, managing to do so for a short while at a time. Jack couldn’t be happier with how much better he was getting, mainly because of how it meant that he had been right and James had been wrong, of course. He grinned at James, who was looking quite gloomy, in all honesty. 

”Think you’ll miss me?” James snorted as he nudged him. 

”Hardly” He shot back, turning from the sea to Jack ”All I’ll miss is the peace and quiet when you get back” 

”Of course you will” Jack snickered, then yawned. It wasn’t that late, but the heat made him drowsy and he should ideally be well rested in the morning, so there was no harm in going to sleep early, he thought as he laid back and announced his intentions to James. He didn’t get much of a response, just an uninterpretable murmur right as he closed his eyes and curled up on his side. It took him some time to get comfortable, but he eventually managed to and began to relax, while mentally going over the route back to the island. His compass would lead the way, of course, but it was always good to know where one was going just in case. Before stopping on the island they were on now he’d been going south, which meant he should go north to get back and- 

Jack’s eyes shot open, and for a moment all he thought of was that he must have dozed off, before his mind immediately returned to the more pressing matter. Literally so, as something was pressing against his cheekbone. Soft, and gone in a second, but lingering as Jack laid tense, listening to the sound of James shuffling back to his tree. He blinked and resisted the urge to raise his hand to the spot where he’d just felt the unmistakable sensation of lips against skin. 

What? 

_What?_

Jack honestly didn’t know what to do. Usually, he would have gotten up, made the next move and _deeply_ enjoyed where it all led, but in all previous, similar situations the kisses starting it all had been different. This hadn’t been an invitation, not in that way. Or at least, Jack was fairly certain James didn’t expect for him to throw himself at him, for various reasons. Mainly that James was in no condition for the type of activities Jack usually got up to in these situations, but there was still the feeling of that kiss as well. Feather-light and over in a second, it really didn’t seem like something Jack had been supposed to know about at all. 

Well, he did know now, didn’t he? Even though he didn’t know what to do about it, besides lay there and think about it. Which he did, only drifting off now and then until the sun began rising and he got up, walking into the woods and gathering as much fruit as he could. Any fish he caught would go bad, Jack knew, so James would have to make do with fruit for some time. He made a pile of it right next to where James was sleeping, taking three trips to the woods before finally feeling satisfied with the amount he’d gathered. And he left all but one of the canteens of water, filled with fresh water from the pond. 

For a moment, he thought of waking James up, but eventually decided against it and made his way down to the boat, putting on the clothes he’d left there and pushing her out into the lagoon. The wind caught her sails quickly, and soon she was out on the open sea, the island little more than a speck in the distance. 

When Jack came back, the first thing he noticed was how little of the fruit James had touched. The second thing he noticed was that James was looking absolutely bewildered. 

”What?” He asked, as he pulled the boat up on land, casting a glance over his shoulder at James, who collected himself slightly by shaking his head. 

”Nothing” He braced himself against the tree, and to Jack’s surprise managed to push himself to a standing position. Still supporting himself against the tree, of course. If he didn’t need to, Jack would have started to question whether or not he was actually human considering it had only been four days since they last saw each other. 

”Sorry I took so long” Jack began unpacking the boat, throwing the sacks of less fragile wares on the sand. He’d gotten some blankets, and a shirt which he thought James might appreciate, though Jack would miss the view. He got a last glimpse of said view, before James began putting the shirt on and Jack got back to unloading the boat, making sure no harm came to the many bottles he’d acquired. 

”Though in my defense-” He reached for the final item, at the bottom of the boat ”I did get you a gift” 

With a grin, he walked up to James and handed him the walking stick. It was a fancy thing, made of sturdy wood and with a silver handle, which obviously raised James’ suspicions. 

”How did you get this?” He asked as he weighed it in his hand, and Jack scoffed, feigning offense. 

”I’m shocked you’d even ask” He noticed James didn’t look particularly amused, and continued ”But to answer your question, I saw it at a tavern and I just couldn’t resist. And the original owner can afford a new one” 

James still looked a bit hesitant, but he did try supporting himself on the walking stick. Sand wasn’t the ideal environment to use it in, of course, but it still served its purpose well enough and James could take a few slow steps towards Jack and the boat. He inspected the sacks, a bit warily, then turned to Jack. 

”And what about all that?” He motioned for them ”Stolen as well, I presume?” 

”Not in the slightest, I bought all of it” Jack paused for a moment, then added ”I did steal the money, though” 

James almost looked like he was about to argue, but in the end he just sighed. 

”I’ll take it” He said dryly ”Now what’s in those bottles?” 

Jack got the feeling James had wanted to get drunk for a long time, if how quickly he did was anything to go by. Then again, he couldn’t exactly judge considering he was just as drunk, if not drunker. He took another swig of rum, emptying the bottle and then threw it aside. James was already on his second and if Jack’s somewhat hazy vision was still trustworthy he was almost halfway through it. 

”You’re…” He trailed off, lingering on the ’r’ for a while as he gestured towards the bottle ”You’re a bit of a heavyweight, aren’t you?” 

”I think you just can’t hold your drink” James didn’t slur as much as Jack, which was a little disappointing. Jack would have liked to hear him drop the proper language for a while. An idea as to how he’d accomplish that quickly passed through his mind and he quickly reached for another bottle, taking a deep swig as he pushed the thought down. This was not the place, nor the time, although he wouldn’t in any way have objected, he thought. It wasn’t as though he was blind, and James had been sitting without a shirt for days, deepening his tan as his beard slowly grew out. And he _did_ look nice with the beard. 

Jack was staring, he realized, and not far from drooling. Getting drunk really had been a terrible idea, considering the circumstances. It was distracting enough knowing there was the hint of an opportunity there when he could focus long enough to rationalize it away. 

”Oi” He said, then panicked slightly as he realized he hadn’t figured out what to follow up with. It took him just a little too long to do so for it to seem natural when he gestured to the largely untouched pile of fruit. 

”Why haven’t you eaten?”

_Oh that discussion is_ surely _going to lighten the mood. Great thinking, Jackie._

”Er-” James squinted at the pile as if he was having trouble focusing on it ”Yes, about that. I believe I owe you an apology” 

”For what?” Jack asked, when what he really wanted to say was that James absolutely did, for that kiss. Not that he minded in theory, of course, just- 

”I actually didn’t think you’d come back” 

That was…understandable, Jack would admit, considering their history. Particularly their recent history. But then again, not their _most_ recent history, namely that of the days Jack had spent being nothing but helpful, in his opinion. Frankly, the more he thought about it the more he felt he had some reason to be upset. He quickly stopped being upset, however, as a few pieces fell into place, effectively taking over all his focus and making him speak before he got the chance to properly think it over. 

”Is that why you kissed me?” He blurted out and then immediately regretted it as both he and James stared in shock at each other. No, James didn’t just look shocked, he realized. He looked downright horrified. 

”I-” He stammered slightly and was probably regretting getting this drunk as Jack was, if how sick he suddenly looked was anything to go by. For a horrified second Jack thought he might throw up, but that luckily didn’t happen. Instead he steadied himself and took a deep, shaky breath. 

”Yes it’s- In a sense, I suppose” He didn’t meet Jack’s gaze, just looked down as he ran his hands through the sand ”It’s complicated, really, I’m afraid” 

”Ah, but we’ve all night, don’t we?” Jack was a little curious, he’d admit ”And a few more nights, before you can get out of here” 

”Yes” James gave Jack a pained look ”Yes, we do” 

He went silent, still playing with the sand and Jack thought it best not to disturb him. So he waited, alternating between looking at James and the waves slowly rolling in. The sun had set a long time ago, so they were lit up only by the moon and what little light from the campfire reached them. The tips would get a pale glow to them right before they hit the beach, and further out there was an unsteady reflection of the half moon shining above. 

”It’s been a bit of an issue for…some time, now” James suddenly broke the silence, his voice surprisingly calm ”It’s- I don’t know how to describe it, really. But I suppose feelings could be the right word” 

He carefully looked up, only meeting Jack’s gaze from the corner of his eye, as Jack’s mind began racing. Because damn, this was a _lot_ and he was either too drunk or not drunk enough to deal with it all. 

”How long?” He finally managed to ask, somewhat dreading the answer. 

”I’m not really sure, to be honest” James shrugged ”But I think it started around when we brought you back to Port Royal”

It took some time to do the maths in his drunken state, and what with time being rather uncertain when one had been dead for some time. He hadn’t even asked what year it was, or how long he’d been gone. Lord knows he had no idea, it could have been a week or a lifetime. Whatever the case it made the whole thing hard to calculate, but if this… _thing_ had been going on since his capture then that would mean at least a year. Perhaps two. Feeling slightly uneasy, he listened as James continued speaking. 

”I managed to push it away, or at least tell myself I did, after Tripoli. And after that everything was just awful in general, so I didn’t have much time to think about it. But then I thought you’d died and it came back, somehow” He finally looked at Jack properly and swallowed deeply ”Everyone was just _talking_ about it so bloody much. Beckett’s spies couldn’t get enough of confirming it, it seemed. I don’t know if it was because they didn’t trust Jones or if Beckett was just happy about it” 

James paused for a second. He was still looking at Jack in a way that made him feel so much more _watched_ than he was used to. As if James saw right through the clothes and the grime and the very skin they covered. 

”When you said you were leaving” James continued ”I really didn’t think you were coming back, and I guess I thought it fitting I’d say goodbye in some way, this time. Since it’d be the last time I saw you. But then I couldn’t even bring myself to do that. And that’s about it, really” 

”I’m sorry, mate” Jack responded almost instinctively. He really had no idea what else to say. 

”Don’t be. It’s not your fault” 

None of them said anything more, Jack just nodding in response and taking another mouthful of rum. He swallowed it as he looked out over the lagoon again, feeling a sense of melancholy creep over him. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t had these kinds of talks before, but that didn’t make it any more fun. He thought about that, as James said something about going to sleep and limped his way back to the trees. There was a rustling sound as he laid down and pulled one of the newly bought blankets over himself, and Jack threw a glance over his shoulder at him. He must have miscalculated how much force he was supposed to put into that, however, because one way or another the motion ended up making him lose his balance and he fell on his back. For a moment, he thought of getting back up, but he found this particular spot of sand to be quite comfortable and ended up staying where he was, closing his eyes against the faint moonlight above. 

He meant to think about what to do tomorrow, but that proved difficult and soon his mind wandered without him having any say in where it went. Nowhere unpleasant, luckily enough. Just out to sea. 

Jack woke up feeling as heavy as a pile of bricks, and immediately tried to fall asleep again. That proved difficult, however. The sun shone brightly down at him and made his head ache despite him closing his eyes against it. He tried turning to his side, but that only did so much and he begrudgingly accepted that he’d have to get up soon. But not until he’d decided what to do about everything that had happened the night before. 

The most obvious choice was ignoring it, of course. Just carrying on as if nothing had happened, and perhaps making James think Jack had drank so much he forgot all about it. Certainly an easy way out, and far more tempting than trying to talk it through with James. Of course, if there was a time to talk about it it was right now, when the whole thing was still fresh in both their memories and they were sober…

No, ignoring it was definitely the way to go, Jack decided and forced himself to get up. He turned to James, finding him awake and resting against one of the trees. It didn’t seem like he’d noticed Jack yet, which suited Jack fine. It gave him the opportunity to get a good look at James, and try to guess what he was thinking, which was surprisingly hard, Jack had come to notice over the past few days. Hell, he hadn’t even noticed something as big as…what James had been talking about the night before. Did he even remember? God, he hoped not. That would certainly be an easy way out of this whole mess. Just let James think nothing had happened, then get off the island as soon as he was fit to go and go their separate ways. Preferably to never see each other again, for their respective peace of mind. 

Jack repeated that in his head as he stood up and walked over to James, who turned when he heard him coming. 

”Morning” Jack greeted him casually ”Sleep well?” 

”Well enough” James nodded ”Yourself?” 

”Can’t complain” 

Jack wanted to say something more, but the words seemed to trip over themselves on their way up his throat, and he remained silent. And he was still looking at James, which was not ideal. James looked right back, just as silent for a while. Then, he suddenly looked like he was getting ready to say something and Jack promptly figured out how to talk again from sheer panic. 

”How’s your leg?” He blurted out. 

”Oh, uh-” James cleared his throat ”It’s better. I think it may have looked worse than it actually was.

Those were good news. They were, in fact, _excellent_ news. 

”Really?” Jack thought for a moment before he continued ”Think you can walk?” 

”Probably, yes” James nodded and Jack nearly sighed in relief. If James could walk they’d only need a few more days before they could get off the island, and Jack could put as many nautical miles between them as humanly possible. 

His hopes were swiftly, and thoroughly, shattered when James tried to stand up. Because, yes, he _could_ walk, but it was in the broadest definition of the word. And that was on dry land. No matter how much Jack wanted to, immediately realized that trying to take James out to sea would end in disaster. He wouldn’t be able to help out, which was all well and good as long as the weather was fine. But if it changed for the worse, Jack wouldn’t be able to look after him while also getting them through it and he didn’t even want to think about all the ways that could end up going horribly wrong. 

”Are you sure?” He took a step closer, ready to intervene if it looked like James was going to fall. But that, at least, didn’t happen. 

”Absolutely sure” James sounded a bit strained ”Though it may be some time yet before I can go out to sea” 

”My thoughts exactly” Jack nodded. He was glad James realized that, since however much he wanted them to leave as soon as possible he wasn’t about to let James get in the boat in this state, and he would prefer not to have to fight him over that. 

”I do think I should try walking more, though. To get back into it, properly” He cast a glance towards the woods ”Maybe I’ll go explore a bit” 

”All on your own” Jack couldn’t say he thought that was a good idea. 

”That was the idea, yes” James had already started walking, slowly but steadily, and Jack made a quick decision. Before he’d had time to think about how nice it would be to get some time alone, he hurried after James, past the first few trees. 

”Absolutely not” He scoffed and tried to make it clear that he wouldn’t accept any debating the point. James seemed to get that, or he just didn’t mind Jack coming along, because he just shrugged and continued walking. 

They had to keep a slow pace, but could go on for surprisingly long. Jack noted that James supported himself a lot on the cane, which wasn’t ideal for wading through grass and over uneven ground, but wasn’t entirely useless. With its help, James managed to get quite a bit uphills before he finally had to sit down and rest. 

Wile he did, Jack cast a glance up the hill, and realized he could glimpse the edge of the slope through the trees, not too far away. So, after making sure James was well, he informed him that he’d go ahead a bit, intending to see if there was anything interesting to be spotted from up there.

He could walk a lot faster by himself, and soon he was looking out over the island. Their camp was visible when he turned around, and he even though the could see the pond where he’d fetch water. It really was far away, Jack thought, and turned his gaze elsewhere, hoping to find a source of water closer by. That really would make things easier for them. 

He narrowed his eyes as he spotted a clearing, quite close to where he was standing, just a bit downwards on the other side of the hill they’d just climbed. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a glimmer of sun catching on water in the middle of it, and thinking it worth investigating he started making his way down the hill. It was far easier than the hike up had been, even though he did have to watch his step a little so that he wouldn’t slip and tumble down. But using the trees for support during the steeper parts of the climb he managed to make it down without any incidents, finally ending up in the clearing, where the ground evened out a little. 

The sight before him surprised him. Jack blinked a few times just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, but it seemed as though he wasn’t, and that what looked like a house stood just outside the clearing, in the shade of the trees. An old, run-down house with walls that looked like they might crumble at any time, but a house nonetheless. It seemed as though the island hadn’t been quite as uninhabited once, as it was now. 

Jack stepped up to the house’s opening. It didn’t have a door, and he briefly wondered if it had fallen off or if there’d just never been one, before stepping inside. The space was dimly lit, with a little light managing to get in through window-like holes in the wall, and modestly furnished. Just a table with a stool standing by it, a few crates and an empty bed opposite the door. Jack moved further into the room, making for the crates. He opened one of them and was met with a dozen empty bottles. They were dusty, and even if he recognized the type as the ones he usually got his rum from, he couldn’t imagine these particular ones had seen any rum in years. Which was a pity, of course, but it did clue him in as to what the purpose of the house had been. Most likely a place for smugglers to rest, if he had to make an educated guess. And he considered himself familiar with the trade of smuggling, even if it wasn’t one he often pursued himself. 

He closed the crate again and left the house, making his way back over the hill. James sat where he’d left him and had luckily had enough rest to continue walking. On top of that, Jack’s proclamation that he’d found something seemed to catch James’ interest and he didn’t even jokingly complain as they resumed their climbing. 

Downhill turned out to be a lot more difficult for James than it had been for Jack, and Jack tried to clear his mind of any thoughts of the previous night as he had James put his arm around him for support. As much as it made him feel weird, he couldn’t deny that it made things easier for them, and that was what was important, wasn’t it? Jack decided that was the case, as they finally got to the clearing and James let go of him to walk towards the house. 

”What _is_ this place?” He asked, looking inside. 

”Not sure” Jack responded ”Though my current theory is that it used to be a smuggler’s nest. Albeit a tiny one” 

James looked back to him with a worried glance and Jack shook his head. 

”It’s been some time since anybody’s used it, though. So there’s no reason to fret” He made for the house as well, and squeezed past James through the doorway and into the room. It took a moment, but James eventually followed him and inspected the crates, just as he’d done earlier. _They do say great minds think alike._ Jack snickered quietly and turned to the window, looking to see how the view was. Surprisingly good, turned out to be the answer. There were gaps between the trees, just strategic enough that Jack had to presume they were man-made, that let one see all the way to the sea. Probably to spot anyone approaching. 

”Oi, Jamie” Jack folded his arms over the windowsill and leaned further out ”Come look at this” 

”Jamie?” Jack could almost hear James’ eyes rolling as he approached, and put a hand down on the windowsill to the right of Jack to support himself. 

”What, you don’t like it?” Jack looked over his shoulder, intending to shoot James a quick grin. But it seemed to get stuck somewhere as it dawned on him how close James was standing. He quickly turned back and cleared his throat. 

”It’s just a nickname” He continued, muttering. Now that he’d noticed it, it was almost impossible to ignore the heat radiating off of James and onto his back. It burned, almost, like laying on a hot beach without a shirt on and it made it hard to think about anything else. 

”You can see quite far” If James noticed that Jack was acting strange he didn’t show it. His remark was casual, and Jack hated how stiff his response felt. 

”Can see every enemy approaching” He nodded, and shifted slightly, then quickly moved back as he felt his arm brush against James’ hand. God _damn_ it he was thinking too much. Far, far too much. He needed a drink. 

”Do you think we should move our camp?” He made himself say. 

”Probably” James nodded behind him. He could feel it, a slight shift in the warmth just above his head as James’ moved. 

”Right” Jack murmured ”Should probably get on with it then” 

He started to turn, but stopped himself halfway through the motion. James hadn’t moved yet and he realized that if he finished turning that would put them face to face, just inches apart. Had it been anyone else, hell had it been a few days ago, he wouldn’t have minded. More likely, he would have welcomed the closeness, one of the sort he’d had very little time for in the weeks since the locker. But now, he stayed still, letting James move away from the window and begin walking towards the door before he moved again. 

Moving the camp had been a good idea. The house provided far better shade than the trees, and being closer to water made life a lot simpler for the following days. Even if Jack remained as jumpy as he’d been when they first inspected the house, and only grew more so as their supply of alcohol shrank. It ran out completely after nine days, and the following three, Jack spent as much time as he could out exploring the island. 

Then, finally, on the thirteenth day, James announced that he was feeling well enough to leave the island. Jack forced himself not to make any rash decisions about the whole thing, but to his great relief he could truthfully say that he agreed. So they spent the day getting the boat ready, then one more night in the house, with James in the bed and Jack on the floor. 

The trip to the town Jack had stocked up on supplies in- Saint Martin, it turned out- was uneventful, and Jack could put enough of his mind to steering the ship to ignore James for almost all of it. He appreciated the break from feeling like he was walking on hot coal, and looked forward to being free of that forever once they reached Saint Martin. 

They did as the sun started to set, but Jack decided he wouldn’t stay for long. Sailing at night wasn’t ideal, but he trusted his compass would let him stay on course even if he fell asleep. He’d just get himself some supplies, then get back to chasing the _Pearl._ This whole thing with James had really gotten in the way of that, and he was glad to get back to it. 

”So” He said as he stepped onto the dock, where James was already waiting ”What do you plan on doing now?” 

”You know” James smiled, seemingly to himself ”I think I’m actually going to go back to the island. I don’t see where else I can go, really” 

”Really?” Jack quirked an eyebrow ”Now there’s something I’d ever expected to hear. You’re not going back to the navy?” 

”No” James sounded certain ”I don’t think they’ll have me, and even if they will, I don’t want to”

”Had enough of the wigs?” Jack smirked at him and James rolled his eyes. 

”Yes, that’s the only reason” He did smile back, despite his dry tone. Then he grew a bit more serious as he continued ”I’ll get myself a boat and sail back tomorrow. Then, I’ll just have to figure out what to do with the rest of my life” 

”How are you planning on getting a boat, mate?”

”I’m not sure yet” James shrugged ”But it’s not as though I’m in a hurry” 

Jack was quiet for a moment. He thought it over, or rather he pretended to think over what he’d already decided. 

”Take mine” He finally said and almost laughed at how much it seemed to surprise James. 

”Are you sure?” He almost stammered, and if Commodore-Admiral-Whatever James Norrington stammering didn’t make up for the loss of a dinghy, then Jack didn’t know what would. 

”Course I am” He huffed ”Now accept before I change my mind” 

”I-” James paused for a second, then took Jack’s hand and shook it ”Thank you. For everything” 

”Don’t mention it” Jack shook his head ”To anyone, ever. Think of my reputation” 

James didn’t dignify that with a response. He just rolled his eyes again, then let go of Jack’s hand with a muttered ”Goodbye, Jack” and started making his way up the docks. Jack stayed where he was, looking after him for a while, then turned his gaze to the other small boats, docked next to James’. One of them would have to suffice, and he was pretty sure he’d already spotted a few that he thought would work. But first he was going to get himself enough rum to last a month. 

The island was as green as ever, even with the months that had passed since he last saw it. From afar it almost looked like it hadn’t been more than a day, but as Jack sailed into the lagoon he started to notice little things. A net laid out overnight, a boat already waiting on the beach and a plume of smoke rising from the other side of the hill. Jack watched it, as he finished pulling his boat up and it suddenly hit him that he had no idea why he was there. He’d been meaning to go to Saint Martin, since he’d heard Barbossa was looking to sack the town, but some way or another he’d ended up setting his sails for the little island first. It would have to be a quick visit, he told himself as he crossed the beach, making for the woods. 

He scaled the hill, and started to notice even more change on his way down the other side. A few trees had been cut down to let the sunlight in around well-kept fruit trees. He considered nabbing one of the fruits, but thought it best not to. No use making James mad the first thing he did, he thought, and passed the trees with a few longing glances. 

Where the woods grew thicker again, he noticed a path had been worn into the grass. Unsurprisingly, but it was still a great change from how tricky it had been to navigate between the trees during his first stay. It was a good sign, too. Meant James was walking around, which in turn meant his leg wasn’t giving him too much trouble. Jack tried to remember if he’d been limping the last time he saw him, but couldn’t quite decide if that had been the case. 

Finally, he reached the clearing which had grown considerably since last time. The trees facing the ocean had been cut down- then used to repair the house, if the state of it was anything to go by- and now one could see all the way out to the ocean without having to look through the window. Clear blue stretched in all directions and Jack could almost smell it from all the way up here. He took it all in for a moment, then turned and made for the house. It was empty, but he figured James wouldn’t be too far off considering his boat was still on the island, and so he sat down on the rickety stool, facing the window, and waited. 

He didn’t have to wait long. 

”Jack?” James voice suddenly came from the doorway and he turned with a grin. 

”Hello Jamie” He leaned forward slightly in an attempt to bow while still sitting ”You’re holding up terrifically, I see” 

He looked far better than last Jack had seen him, with his hair tied back and his beard trimmed a little, not just left to grow however it pleased. And there was a light to his eyes that made him look a lot more…awake, was probably the best word. 

”I get by” James put a basket of mangoes down by the door and made his way across the room. He did still have a bit of a limp, Jack noted as he watched him, but he supposed things could have been far worse, all things considered. 

”So what brings you here?” James sat down on the bed ”Not that I’m not happy to see you, I just wasn’t expecting you” 

”Plenty of reasons” _Just have to make a few up_ ”I have business in the area. Thought I’d drop by and make sure you hadn’t died. Which, evidently, you haven’t”

”Not that I’m aware” James snorted at his own joke and Jack felt his gut do…something at the sound. He forced the feeling away, but to his great dismay he noted that it took considerable effort. Perhaps, coming to the island had been a bad idea? 

”Well-” James continued and reached out. His hand stayed hesitantly in mid-air for a moment, before he finally planted it on Jack’s arm and patted it a bit awkwardly ”I’m happy to see you. As I said” 

The feeling returned with full force and Jack had to reevaluate his earlier assessment. Coming here hadn’t _perhaps_ been a bad idea. It had been his worst idea since letting Barbossa back on his ship. 

”And I’m happy to see you” He admitted, forcing as natural of a smile as he possibly could ”Now, how about a drink” 

James didn’t have much in the way of alcohol, it turned out. Just a small box of half-drunk bottles of wine, in a corner of the house. Luckily, Jack had brought his own contributions, and a few hours later, as the sun started to set, he was thoroughly and blessedly drunk. They’d left the house in favor of the clearing, where there was fresh air and lots of space, and were now sat next to each other facing the sea. 

Jack took a swig from his bottle and to his surprise, found that it was empty. 

”’s empty” He informed James and held the bottle up to demonstrate.

”Mine too” James’ speech was still somewhat clear, as per usual, but he took some time between words, as if he had trouble finding them ”Do you have any more?” 

”Of _course_ ” Jack huffed and tried to stand up. He was a bit unsteady but eventually managed to get to his feet, only to immediately fall back again, landing quite painfully on his backside. It took him some time to properly recognize what had just happen, and by the time he did, James had already started laughing. 

”’s not funny!” Jack objected as he tried and failed to find some support. The ground kept moving under him, whenever he put his hand down to push himself up, and James’ laughing didn’t exactly help, with how distracting it was. 

”I’m sorry, I’m sorry” He managed to get out between laughing fits, then cleared his throat ”Here”

He reached out for Jack, offering him a hand to help him up, but when Jack took it and tried to pull himself it only made James fall as well. And it made him start laughing again, the moment he hit the ground. Jack couldn’t help but join this time, wondering somewhere in the back of his mind how he’d ended up here, drunk and giggling like a little girl. He figured it didn’t matter, as James managed to sit up again, and helped Jack up without any incidents this time. 

”Maybe we’ve had enough” He said and Jack made a vague noise in response. Personally, he didn’t necessarily believe there was anything like enough to drink, but he also couldn’t quite remember where he’d put that last bottle of rum, so he figured he could just stay where he was. And of course, there was- he now realized- the far more pressing issue of James’ hand still holding onto his arm, where he’d grabbed on to help him up. 

He waited for a moment, to see if James would realize it, but it seemed like he’d become utterly enthralled with the sea, his gaze fixed firmly on it and a small smile still playing on his lips. A little dry it seemed, and James tongue quickly shot out to wet them. Jack tilted his head to the side, swaying dangerously with the motion, but managing to stay sitting. James must have seen him out of the corner of his eye, or something. It didn’t really matter, what did matter was that he turned to Jack with a questioning expression. 

”What?” 

Jack probably looked a bit weird, he’d admit. But he wasn’t sober enough to worry about that, nor to worry too much about anything, in all honesty. He was starting to really enjoy the weight of James’ hand on his arm. 

”Nothing” He muttered and leaned in, brushing his lips against James’. 

Intending to evaluate the reaction he got, he attempted to draw back, but James reached up- remarkably quick for a drunk man- and took a firm hold on his collar. For a moment they were still, and Jack could practically hear his own heart beat as he kept his eyes locked with James’. There seemed to be a lot going on behind them, if only for a few moments before James pulled Jack closer again. 

This kiss was deeper, almost immediately, with Jack wasting no time now that he felt he had a suitable idea of what he was doing. He brought a hand up to cup James’ face and shifted closer, then broke the kiss only for a moment to focus on keeping his balance as he swung a leg over James’. Straddling him, he leaned in again and took a firm grip of James’ shoulder for support as he kissed him. James’ hands seemed to be all over him at once- tangled in his hair, resting on his hips, stroking his face, slipping in under the collar of his shirt… 

Jack stopped thinking completely. 

The sun was just starting to rise when he woke up, with a headache strong enough to make him curse under his breath. Other than that, it was rather pleasant. The sun warmed his bare skin, the grass was comfortable enough and he could admit to himself that it was nice being wrapped up in James’ arms. Even if he wasn’t planning on staying long. 

He sighed to himself and closed his eyes, shifting closer and breathing in the sensation for a moment. James muttered something incomprehensible, and Jack froze, afraid that he was going to wake up. But he only tightened his hold on Jack slightly, and nuzzled into his hair. Jack could hear him snoring softly, and felt a pang of guilt replace the warm feeling he’d had. He let it stay for a moment, let it form an almost concrete thought, before he shrugged it off and sat up, untangling himself from James’ arms.

Faster than what was perhaps entirely necessary, Jack crossed the clearing and made for the woods. He stepped into the shade, and shuddered at the sudden shift in temperature. For a moment, the thought of going back crossed his mind, but he ignored it and continued ahead up the hill, soon leaving the clearing completely out of sight. 

A few of the trees had started growing flowers. Colors sparked across the green of the island, like stars in a very oddly colored and bright sky. So not like stars at all, really, Jack supposed. More like a crazy artist had just flicked paint over a green canvas. He watched the mess of colors as he slowly sailed into the lagoon, focusing on that rather than the immediate future. One that included the figure, standing and waiting for him on the beach. 

James was furious, Jack could tell with just the glance he threw over his shoulder as he pulled the boat up on the beach. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes damn near looked like they could kill. He was silent, watching Jack as he worked on getting the boat up, and his gaze burned into Jack’s neck like hot iron. 

Jack kept his back turned for a moment, hands resting on the side of the boat, then took a deep breath and turned. 

”Jamie, I-” A slap across his face sent him stumbling to the side and he reached up to his burning cheek as he turned to face James. He was still glaring, and Jack found himself glaring right back before he’d even had time to acknowledge that he’d probably deserved it. 

”How very diplomatic of you” He muttered. 

_”Excuse me?”_ James took a step closer and Jack almost thought he’d get another slap, but James kept his arms at his sides, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles began to whiten. 

”Do forgive me, _Sparrow_ for not being in the best of moods” He continued ”What exactly were you expecting me to do? Welcome you back with open arms after you just disappeared with no explanation? After you _kissed me_ without explanation?” 

”Oh so now going around kissing people out of the blue is a bad thing?” Jack shot back. He wasn’t sure why he was arguing but _damn_ did it feel good to watch James visibly cringe at the comment, and take some time before he could respond. 

”That was different, and you know it” His voice was lower, like he didn’t fully believe it himself ”I explained it, didn’t I? And I apologized” 

”And some apology it was!” Jack snorted ”In what way did you think springing the fact that you have _feelings_ for me was going to make things any better for me?” 

”Because you wouldn’t have to go around wondering you idiot!” 

”Well, guess what? I did!” Jack yelled, then took a deep breath and continued with his voice lowered ”If you really did care about me you would have shut up about it” 

James didn’t say anything. He kept his eyes locked with Jack, to the point where it started to make Jack uncomfortable. Without managing any words, he opened and closed his mouth, then cursed to himself and turned on his heel, walking away across the beach. 

The sand seemed to be actively working towards tripping him, but Jack luckily managed to stay on his feet until he was far away enough that he dared to turn around and see what James was doing. There was no trace of him, and for a split second Jack felt a sense of remorse. Then he got annoyed- because who did James think he was, really, wandering off like nothing had happened?- and after giving the sand a half-hearted kick he made for the woods. 

At first he kept a relatively low pace, but the more he thought about the conversation the quicker he walked until he was practically jogging. He muttered to himself, repeating what James had said in the poshest accent he could manage, until the words seemed to have completely lost their meaning and he shut up again, still moving forward. 

What had James meant by _explaining himself_ anyway? It wasn’t as though he knew how to explain how he’d reasoned, so why should he have bothered? Besides, it had been James bloody idea that had started the whole thing, and it wasn’t Jack’s fault that he couldn’t handle the consequences. Maybe if he’d wanted to stay _friends-_

Jack paused for a second, stopping in his tracks. He thought about the word again. _Friends._ When had they become friends? And _how_? 

Well, it didn’t matter anymore, that was for sure. Because Jack wasn’t ever coming back. As soon as he’d calmed down a little he was going to get his boat and leave and he’d never, _ever,_ look back. 

He’d willingly admit he’d been far too caught up in his own thoughts for his own good. Especially as he was apparently distracted enough not to notice a steep hill, which at the moment seemed to appear out of thin air, with the express purpose of making him fall, tumble down it quite gracelessly and end up landing in the very pond he’d found James by all those months ago. 

Jack got a mouthful of water, and was disoriented enough that it took him some time to break the surface, with a gasp for air. Coughing, he climbed out of the pond and sat down on the ground, dripping wet. He tried to get back to what he’d been thinking, as he wiped the water off his face as best as he could, but his thoughts seemed to have gotten lost somewhere along the line. 

Sniffling, he stood up and turned towards where he knew the house to be. A thin plume of smoke was rising from the spot, and Jack suddenly realized how cold he was getting. A fire would be nice, and he’d have a hard time starting one with as soaked as he was, he reasoned. So he had no choice but to go back up. Although it did mean confronting James, and probably talking things out as well, if Jack wanted to get close to that fire. 

Jack looked back over his shoulder, hesitating for a moment before he managed to pull himself together and start walking. He _needed_ to, god damn it. And he wanted it as well, no matter how much he tried to swat that thought away. It stayed close, like an annoying fly, and as he continued towards James’ house he gradually gave up on getting rid of it. 

When he reached the clearing he stopped for a moment, just at the edge of it, taking in the sight before him. The house looked far better than last time he’d seen it, with a proper door, an improvised but not too shabby-looking chimney and some sort of bushes planted around the house, their flowers making for a colorful frame around it. The sight was positively idyllic and Jack couldn’t decide whether to smile or roll his eyes at the sight. 

Something- a twig, maybe- cracked under his foot as he stepped out of the woods and he stopped again, certain that James would have heard the noise. That turned out to be correct, as James soon emerged from the house, leaning against the doorframe and narrowing his eyes at Jack. He didn’t speak for a moment, seemingly just watching Jack closely for a while, before breaking the silence. 

”Why are you here?” Blunt. Straight to the point. Jack sort of appreciated it. 

”I fell in the pond. And I…” He trailed off, hesitating for a second ”I apologize. For earlier. Wasn’t very nice of me” 

”No it wasn’t” 

”You’d every right to be mad” Jack continued before he could get the chance to stop himself ”And I’m sorry about that too. Seems I do nothing but cause you trouble” 

He tried a hesitant smile. At first to no avail, but after a few tense seconds, James’ expression finally softened. 

”That’s true” He nodded and turned around ”Now get inside. But leave whatever you can out to dry” 

Jack nodded enthusiastically (albeit pointlessly, since James couldn’t see him), relieved at the invitation. Quickly, he discarded his coat, vest and boots then hesitantly left the hat as well, after deciding that the probability of it getting stolen was quite slim. With a final glance at it, he followed James inside. 

The interior of the house had changed quite a bit as well, with the crude fireplace connected to the chimney being the most notable addition. Other than that it mainly looked…homely. Lived in. There were a few papers strewn out on the table, a shirt laid out over the unmade bed and other little details that added to the feeling. It wasn’t messy, like the _Pearl’s_ captain’s cabin had been, but it wasn’t tidy enough to be devoid of personality. 

Jack sat down in front of the fireplace, sighing contently as the warmth made him relax. He closed his eyes for a good while, only opening them when James threw a blanket over his head. 

”Thanks, mate” He pulled it off and wrapped it around himself. 

”Don’t mention it” James sat down next to him, and didn’t further the conversation, so they ended up staying silent for quite some time, Jack chewing on his lips and thinking a bit while his hair slowly dried. 

”Oi” He hesitantly broke the silence ”Do you think we need to talk?” 

James was still. He didn’t look at Jack, just kept his eyes on the fire as he spoke, his voice hushed. 

”We don’t have to, if you don’t want to” 

”But I do want to” Jack paused for a second ”I think, at least” 

James finally looked at him, seemingly amused by the comment. 

”You think?” He raised an eyebrow and Jack sighed in frustration. 

”I’m decently sure” He said ”Look, I’m not very good with this sort of…thing” 

”Thing?”

”Talking. About…about this stuff” 

James laughed. 

”You’re being rather vague, Jack” He kept smiling even after his laugh had died out and Jack found it got beyond distracting. 

”I know, just give me a break” He took a deep breath. _God,_ why was this so god damn difficult? He couldn’t very well run off now, even if it was tempting. The fire was too warm, the blanket too comfortable and there wasn’t a trace of the coldness from back at the beach in James’ eyes.

”Back whenever, you said you had feelings, right?” Jack paused as James nodded, then continued ”Well, I think that I might too, in a sense” 

He let the words hang in the air, almost as surprised to hear them himself as James seemed to be. And James looked quite surprised. His mouth opened as if he was about to speak, but he didn’t make a sound and his eyes widened. 

”Thing is-” Jack continued, looking down at his hands as he spoke ”I don’t think I can be what you need. I’m not going to be able to settle down here, or anywhere for that matter. I need…” 

Trailing off, he looked up again and met James’ eyes. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but this sure wasn’t it. James looked _calm._ Like none of this bothered him in the slightest. 

”You need the sea” He finished for Jack, his voice soft. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he reached out, his fingers just barely brushing against Jack’s, where both their hands rested on the floor. Still it was enough to make Jack shiver slightly, and his breath hitched as he nodded. 

”I know you do” James nodded as well ”And I would never ask of you to leave it behind. I’ll miss you when you leave, sure, but if I know you’ll be back, and if I know you’re safe, then that makes up for it. By far” 

He was still for a moment, then slowly reached out. For a moment he let his hand hang still between them, as if he expected it to be swatted away, before finally nudging Jack’s hair and beginning to twirl a stray lock of it between two fingers. 

”I would never ask you to stay” He continued, quieter now ”Because that’s not who you are. And it’s not who I fell in love with” 

Jack felt his breath hitch, and he wanted desperately to say something, _anything._ But he couldn’t come up with a single fitting- or even relevant- thing to say, so he settled for reaching up and taking James’ hand, lowering it as he intertwined their fingers. He kept his eyes on their hands, as James began to move his thumb, rubbing a circle over Jack’s knuckle. The small motion became almost hypnotizing and it wasn’t until James stopped that he could make himself look up again. 

He leaned in slowly, and James matched the motion, meeting him halfway. The kiss wouldn’t have seemed like much to an onlooker, being done rather quick and almost chaste. But to Jack it felt like more. It somehow felt like a first, despite what had already transpired between them and it made him feel warm in a way he couldn’t remember feeling in years. Like stepping out into the sun. 

Jack had time to stay for three days after that, and he would gladly admit it was some of the best shore leave he’d had so far in his life. 

”Next time I’ll come back with the _Pearl_ ” He promised as he untied his boat, grinning at James. 

”You better” James smiled right back ”Just don’t take too long” 

”Course not!” Jack huffed and threw the rope over his shoulder ”Who do you take me for?” 

”Captain Jack Sparrow”

”My point exactly” 

”I meant it as an insult” James rolled his eyes and followed Jack as he started walking down the beach towards the boat. 

The sea looked splendid today. The lagoon was as still as ever, but beyond it the crystal blue of the sea mixed with slivers of white, where the waves broke. Jack could hear the wind from where he stood on the beach and felt himself tingle with anticipation. It was going to be a bit of a challenge, but nothing he couldn’t handle. 

He stopped by the boat, threw the rope in and was about to start pushing it out before he stopped himself and turned back, hurrying back up the beach to James. 

”Almost forgot” He said, and got up on his toes to give James a quick kiss on the cheek, then just as quickly turned around and started heading for the boat again, waving over his shoulder. 

”You’ll get more next time we-” He began, but was cut off as James grabbed him by the arm and turned him around. 

”Don’t even try it” He warned before kissing Jack properly, and deeply. And yes, Jack had to admit, that was far better. He leaned into the kiss, reached up to run a hand through James’ hair and savored the feeling of James’ arms around him as much as he possibly could, before James finally pulled back, a little short of breath. 

”See you soon” He squeezed Jack tighter for a moment before letting him go. 

”Sooner thank you think” Jack smirked ”Don’t get too used to the peace and quiet” 

”I wouldn’t dare” 

Jack lingered for just a second more, then turned and made for the boat, this time managing to push it out to deeper waters and get in without anything interrupting him. It took all of his focus to maneuver it to the lagoon’s exit, but there he did turn around, looking back at the beach and waving at James. James waved right back and yelled something Jack couldn’t quite hear. 

”What?!” He yelled back and James raised his voice, just enough to carry all the way to Jack. 

”I said get going now, unless you plan on staying!” 

Jack couldn’t help the smile spreading over his face, and he waved at James one final time before he got back to steering the boat. The winds out on the open sea were as strong as he’d suspected, but he didn’t mind much, just basked in the feeling of the little boat coming alive under them, and of the warmth of the sun shining down on him. 

It was a great day for sailing. 

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> so this took me FOREVER to write ADGADFGSDFGSDFS so I hope you all like it uwuwuwuwuwu
> 
> Reviews are heavily appreciated AND motivate me to write more so sparrington stans if you want more juice I just handed you the cheat code for easy access juice, stay funky


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